SEPANG: Three of the 43 Malaysians who were duped to work for a Macau scam syndicate in Peru have arrived in Malaysia.
Another 37 victims were expected to be sent home in stages while three others were still being held by police in Lima, Peru.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin said the remaining victims would be sent home via four flights on Oct 28, 29, 30 and Nov 1.
"These victims are currently being kept at an undisclosed safe house by the Peruvian authorities.
"They are safe and in good hands so I hope their family members do not worry," he told reporters at the KL International Airport (KLIA) on Thursday (Oct 26).
He said the three victims who were brought back via a flight on Thursday would be brought back to Kuala Lumpur.
"They will have to have their statements recorded before they can go home.
"There are three remaining victims still in police custody in Peru.
"We understand that the three are being held to facilitate further investigations in accordance with the law there," he said while praising the Government of Peru for their cooperation in rescuing the victims and speeding up the process of sending them home.
He said the Foreign Affairs Ministry through its embassy in Lima, Peru, would continue to monitor the developments of this case and extend appropriate consular assistance.
"Based on our checks, the victims involved were from all over the country.
"There are victims from Selangor, Sarawak, Sabah, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Kedah," he said.
Mohamad urged the public to be wary of advertisements offering high paying jobs abroad.
"These job scams are out there and the people need to be vigilant and extra cautious before accepting any job offers," he said.
It was reported that the 43 Malaysians rescued from a human trafficking syndicate operating a telecommunications fraud in Peru on Oct 7, were young people who had arrived in Lima just a week earlier.
This was the first time that a syndicate lured Malaysians to South America.
